The brand-new Aviva Studios, a.k.a. the official home of Factory International, has officially opened in Manchester and we got a first look at the impressive new cultural centrewhich first began construction back in 2017.
Marking the single biggest cultural investment project since the opening of the Tate Modern back in 2000, Aviva Studios is a state-of-the-art facility that sits as a striking new addition to the Mancunian skyline with its unique geometric exterior designed by OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture).
The launch, which gets off to an exciting start with its opening production ofFree Your Mind — a Danny Boyle-directed dance-driven recreation of The Matrix — is a historic day for the arts not only in the city but the nation in general, as Aviva Studios is now the biggest cultural institution anywhere in the UK.
Assembled using nearly £1 billion in funds from the government, National Lottery and Arts Council England, Factory International‘s new central hub for MIF (Manchester International Festival) and all other projects will promise to deliver original productions and special events across all art forms.
The coolest part about the 13,350-square-metre building is its multiple large, open and crucially flexible spaces that can be constantly reconfigured to allow multiple artists to create large-scale ambitious works of a kind not seen anywhere else in the world.
For example, the 21-metre-high Warehouse is the ultimate flexible performance space with capacity for up to 5,000 people standing. It’s taller than four double-decker buses stacked on top of each other, just under the length of a Boeing 747 aeroplane and can be divided by a movable wall.
Meanwhile, the Hall features a flexible stage that can house an audience of up to 1,603 seated or 2,000 standing and both rooms can be opened up and combined to create one large stage. Ingenious stuff.
This means that as many as three different full-scale artistic productions can be held simultaneously without any visual or noise interference bleeding into the other, thanks to the movable acoustic walls and sound-cancelling curtains which can block noises of up to 100 decibels. So, in theory, you could have a metal gig playing in one room and this mind-bending interactive show in the other.
Free Your Mind, the mind-altering live show running until 5 November, is a journey into The Matrix through dance, sound and fashion.
This is going to reconfigure your mind, body and spirit. After that, the rest is up to you.
From major exhibitions and concerts to intimate performances and immersive live experiences, there will be all kinds of shows and displays for Mancs to enjoy and will no doubt attract countless tourists from all over the world.
The programme for 2024 is already shaping up to be an extremely exciting project, with everything from a surreal retelling of Jungle Book, performances from the likes of Maxine Peake; the Olivier award-winning TRAPLORD, an interactive symphony with BBC Philharmonic (June 2024), a Johnny Marr double-header with a full orchestra and so much more.
In fact, there is even an AR (augmented reality) installation already on display which is completely free for people to experience visiting during the day and, of course, plenty of food and bar spaces to enjoy when you’re not soaking in the culture.
There is so much going on here that it’s kind of hard to know where to start, but a good place might be checking out the programme HERE to see what’s on in the coming months and into next year.
Featured Image — Marco Cappelletti, courtesy of OMA and Factory International.
News
New ‘postboxes of the future’ are being rolled out across the UK
Danny Jones
The Royal Mail is starting to roll out its line of so-called “postboxes of the future” across the UK this year, including right here in Greater Manchester.
It has been dubbed the most important and noticeable transformation to the classic British postbox in its entire 175-year history.
The national postal service teased the modern-day upgrade earlier this year, but the revolutionary new upgrade was officially announced this week, with Royal Mail ushering in a new era of digitally-driven units that should make many lives a lot easier – at least in theory.
Although they might look pretty identical to the iconic red boxes since before the turn of the 19th century have used up and down the country, there are marked differences between the new and the old ones.
Credit: Royal Mail
The biggest change made to the Royal Mail’s soon-to-be standard design is a digitally activated drop-down drawer, which will be able to fit parcels as big as a shoebox, hopefully saving us Brits on a fair few trips to the post office.
You will be able to scan a barcode via the updated Royal Mail app to activate the drawer for larger items; meanwhile, there will be a separate slot for letters and smaller packages.
Additionally, the new range of high-tech postboxes will also be solar-powered, helping the public limited company chase its ‘green’ targets.
Now owned by parent firm International Distribution Services (IDS) – who also oversee Parcelforce Worldwide – following the UK government’s approval of its historic sale to Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský at the end of 2024, the group as a whole is undergoing a significant overhaul.
Britain’s new solar postboxes were first trialled back in April in four towns located throughout the Hertfordshire region: Letchworth Garden City, Ware and Hertford. A fifth was later installed in Fowlmere, Cambridgeshire, too.
Despite being quickly considered a success on the whole, the initial design featured an entirely black top, with polls of civilians and Royal Mail themselves agreeing that keeping them red all over was more in keeping with the brand.
It’s like the old school phone box, isn’t it? We can’t picture it any other way.
📮Attention Postbox Lovers 📮
Royal Mail is upgrading postboxes to accept parcels. They'll gaining a new slot and a solar panel on top
Speaking in a statement, the Royal Mail‘s managing director of ‘out-of-home and commercial excellence’, Jack Clarkson, said: “We are all sending and returning more parcels than ever before.
“This trend will only continue as online shopping shows no signs of slowing, particularly with the boom of second-hand marketplaces. There are 115,000 postboxes in the UK located within half a mile of 98% of addresses, making them by far the most convenient network of parcel drop-off points in the UK.
“Our message is clear – if you have a Royal Mail label on your parcel, and it fits, put it in a postbox and we’ll do the rest.”
The new generation postboxes are now being made permanent in the same locations, with Edinburgh, Nottingham, Sheffield and Manchester next.
Keep your eyes peeled on the streets as they’ll soon be making a debut in your area.
Manchester Christmas Markets 2025 opening date announced – including Albert Square return
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Christmas Markets are merely months away, and the opening date and important details for 2025’s return have been announced.
It’s official… holidays are coming, and the countdown is on.
Just as we do every year, the Greater Manchester public has been eagerly awaiting news of when the city’s iconic Christmas Markets would be making a comeback for the 2025 festive season.
But now, Manchester City Council has announced that the famous wooden huts will be lining Manchester‘s streets once again from the first week in November, and for the first time in six years, Markets will also be returning to Albert Square.
The Manchester Christmas Markets 2025 return date has officially been confirmed / Credit: The Manc Group | Flickr
Now in their 27th year, Manchester Christmas Markets are known and loved for bring thousands of people into the city centre each year to fill up on the fantastic festive treats and to soak up all the Christmas atmosphere.
While restoration work has been carried out on the city’s Grade I-listed Town Hall building, markets have been spread all across the city centre in recent years, instead of the central hub being in Albert Square – but this year, some of the festivities will return to where they belong.
More than 200 stalls will also be spread across nine other sites throughout the city centre.
Markets will take over 10 major locations across the city centre / Credit: Manchester City Council
Promising to be plenty on offer for seasonal shoppers of all ages, 2025 will see the iconic wooden ski chalet market stalls take over King Street, St Ann’s Square, Exchange Street, New Cathedral Street, Exchange Square, Corn Exchange, and Cathedral Gardens, as well as Market Street and Piccadilly Gardens as usual.
Dominating a twinkling seasonal skyline on Albert Square will be an enormous 50-metre-high ferris wheel, as well as an enchanting vintage carousel for children, and other Christmas fairground-style attractions.
The new ‘A Taste of Christmas’ event will be open on Albert Square until Sunday 4 January 2026, bringing the space back into the heart of the city’s countdown to Christmas festivities and staying open throughout the festive season for families to enjoy into the new year.
Councillors are going all out to make Manchester the world’s number one Christmas city / Credit: Manchester City Council
“We’re going all out this year to make sure that Manchester is the number one city for Christmas – not just in the UK, but in the world,” commented Councillor Pat Karney, who is the Christmas spokesperson for Manchester City Council.
Cllr Karney also teased that there are a few other ‘Santa surprises’ to come that we can expect to be announced in the coming weeks.
He concluded: “In the meantime, dust off your baubles, un-twirl your tinsel, and get ready – Albert’s back.”
Manchester Christmas Markets 2025 will officially open across the city on Friday 7 November and close on Monday 22 December.
That is except for A Taste of Christmas on Albert Square, and the stalls at Cathedral Gardens – which will remain open throughout the Christmas period until 4 January 2026.
Danny Jones -
18th October 2023 
